September newsletter 2019

Welcome to our fourth Newsletter of 2019

From the Editors desk

What better way to introduce this month’s newsletter than to show just how beautiful the entrance to Bushman’s River Mouth looks when spring finally arrived.

Photo courtesy of Dalien Pachonick.

It’s easy to see why people want to live or retire to Bushman’s it looks so welcoming. Have you noticed how this time of the year everything seems to grow twice as fast as normal, so we have embarked on our spring cut back, trimming the bushes away from our security fence lines which will make things a little easier for fence inspections. This work should all be finished by the beginning of October and maintained from there on in on a regular basis.

From the Chair

Who’s who
One person from San Estates joined as a member during July but we are unable to identify you. Please let us know if you paid a membership fee with reference San Estates.

Recycling in Bushman’s
The collection of recyclable items unfortunately does not happen anymore and all households are encouraged to deliver their clear plastic bags containing recyclables to the site in the industrial area.

A charming and helpful lady called Nosipho, with the aid of one helper, is at the recycling depot, and is doing her utmost and trying her best to keep the site functioning.

So, if you are able, please make a short trip to Bushman’s Industrial Area to take your recyclables to her. Use the biodegradable see-through bags that you can purchase at the Spar or Blue Light House or even a cardboard box. What is recyclable? See our website.

Here are some flowers for you…

Thank you for your kind and generous response to our appeal for additional funds  to assist with the roads and the safety of our community. 

We have noted all your responses and comments and take them all to heart.

We agree that many of the issues that affect us are matters that should be attended to by the local authority. But as we all know, they have serious “challenges” and we do not get the services that we pay for. I can give many examples.  We have numerous meetings with municipal officials and take the crumbs that we can get. But the agenda of politicians is not the same as ours.

We have been compelled to take back our Village…

If we do not do many of the things ourselves, the Village will go to pot (although that may be a dangerous thing to say now that it too, is sort of legal!!).

Thus, the small band of volunteers forming the BRRAG committee and a few townsfolk who assist, are keeping Boesmans and Riversbend as pristine as we can with our limited resources and even more limited assistance from the Municipality.

The members and well-wishers, who contribute financially, are the backbone of BRRAG: most of our fundraising is done locally and permanent residents are generous with their time and efforts and money. (I will soon tell you more about the 100 Club that is currently wholly funded by the local members of BRRAG and one Valie!!).  Your assistance is therefore just wonderful. 

Thank you each and every one for your contribution over and above your membership fees. We shall keep our Village in the best possible condition, having regard to our limited resources. After all, it’s our investments that are being looked after.

You are champions.  Wear your medals with pride.

Sincere thanks.

Water Supply Situation

As all of those who were in Bushman’s and Riversbend over the December holidays are well aware, there is a severe water shortage at peak holiday periods when the available water supply is insufficient for the large, temporary increase in the local population. In order to address the water shortage issue, the Kenton Chamber of Commerce and the Kenton Ratepayers’ Association formed a joint technical committee with the Municipality and the Albany Water Board. To date the following remedial actions to alleviate the water shortages during peak holiday periods have been taken by the Municipality and the Albany Water Board with the assistance of the dedicated technical committee members: 

• A team of plumbers has been appointed by the Municipality and by now they have fixed nearly all of the many household leaks which were identified during a door to door survey. The plumbers continue to fix new household leaks as they occur.
• The existing water supply infrastructure was assessed, meter flows were analysed and additional water meters were installed. This exercise helped to determine the location of several major pipeline leaks which have now been fixed.
• Any new leaks are now attended to as soon as possible after the technical committee are notified.
• New valves have been installed at critical positions so that the water flow can be better managed.
• The reservoir pumps have been inspected and several repairs, particularly to the power supply, have been carried out to ensure that they function correctly.
• A few improvements to the reservoir piping layout are being considered
• The Amatola Water Board has replaced the filter membranes in the RO plant, and this has increased the output capacity.
• The Amatola Board are in the process of increasing the water output of the RO plant by installing additional processing equipment.
• The Municipality will be installing additional notice boards to remind both permanent residents and holiday visitors of the need to save water.

All of the above actions have made a huge difference to water supply situation. However, the reality is that, due to the on-going drought, the dune field borehole yields are significantly reduced. In addition, the overall reservoir storage capacity is still insufficient to cope with the peak season water demand unless everyone uses water very sparingly. Despite on-going campaigns over the last few years asking people to save water it is thought that this message has not yet got through to everyone. It is hoped that this December everyone will be aware of the water shortage situation and be a lot more careful about how much water they use.

It should be remembered that the Eastern Cape is a water short area and no matter what interventions are done there is a finite amount of water available and this is not going to change – in fact it is only going to get worse. It is also not economically feasible to construct enough storage reservoirs to store enough water for this residential area over the full month of December and the first half of January, even if we had the water availability to fill them.

It is therefore clear that the water shortage at holiday periods is unlikely to be resolved any time soon, if ever. BRRAG therefore strongly suggests that all homeowners who do not already have sufficient rainwater storage capacity should install additional rainwater tanks, especially if they are going to be resident over the December holiday period and still do not have any rainwater storage capacity at all.

There is insufficient ground water in this area and extracting salt from the saline Bushman’s River is an expensive process, so it is essential that everyone not only uses water sparingly but that they also store and use as much rainwater as possible.

This will go a long way towards alleviating both the water shortage situation and the level of frustration in the community during peak periods.

Reporting of leaks

Please inform all residents of Bushman’s and Riversbend that if they see any water leaks, they should report them to Mike White on 082 457 8408 or to the municipal offices in Kenton.

What’s happening in Riversbend – News clip

1. Portfolio – Dalien Pachonick

I am pleased to say that there have been positive communications between Ndlambe Deputy Director of Infrastructure regarding roads and streetlights. We have been advised that repairs should resume shortly. Workers at the recycling yard in the Industrial area deserve a pat on the back for the noticeable improvement in the work being carried out at the recycling centre. Their hard work in keeping up with the sorting and bailing of the immense quantities that they are currently handling is admirable.

When it comes to high fives then Ferrence and his team, in co-operation with the SAPS and HI- Tec, should all take a bow. Their endless efforts, sleepless nights while keeping us as safe as possible in our homes are quite magnificent and have resulted in several arrests. Please support them fully and don’t be afraid to make a donation to the Nightwatch Team to help with fuel costs.

2. Security Report

DECEMBER security measures

It is that time of the year again! We are all looking forward to being at the seaside for a while!! Unfortunately, the criminals are also preparing their escapades. We have seen a spate of burglaries since the mid-year period – mostly at dwellings with inadequate or no security measures. We strongly recommend that members employ the local security service – it has proved invaluable both for preventative measures and peace of mind for those of us who are not permanent residents.

However, we will be negotiating the December special security service that has proved to be invaluable every year. Please make your donation to this project with reference: your name/erf number/December. The houses of contributors always get special attention and are marked for easy identification by guards. We require R 160 000 for this special project and are wholly dependent on the contributions received in order to negotiate the number of day and night guards and the period for which they can be employed. Guards will be deployed in the Village and Riversbend.

3. Community Fundraising Report

Portfolio – Jack Dell

Our most recent fundraising event was our Soup, Sherry & Bingo night, combined with our 100-club fundraising draw. The evening was well attended and we had a fun night with a great selection of homemade soups and bread and enough sherry to put a smile on everyone’s faces, and if that wasn’t enough we had five games of prize Bingo and a mini quiz to round off the night. So, it was a big thank you to all who attended, and to the girls who provided the soups, bread, and sherry, for the evening, which helped raise a much needed R1,200.00. Our next fundraiser is our Christmas Community Braai on December 06th and booking is essential. 079 829 2698

4. Community General Information

Bill Northrop

It is with much sadness that we must inform you that Bill Northrop a long-standing member of the Bushman’s ratepayers and dear friend has passed away. Bill was until recently vice chairman of the ratepayers and worked tirelessly for many years on behalf of our community. If you saw a white Toyota land cruiser and trailer that was Bill, continually carting away tree cuttings and garden refuse to keep our village tidy. Bill was also actively involved with the continued maintenance of the security fences within Bushman’s as well as his involvement with both the Fire department, and Estuary Care, and there was nothing more that Bill loved than to be out on the Kariega and Bushman’s Rivers, attending to the river markers and river buoys.

We will miss you Bill

5. Notice regarding garden rubbish.

Some residents and homeowners are of the opinion that BRRAG are here to provide garden services for the frontage of their own properties. So, we would like to state that it is the homeowners’ responsibility, (BRRAG member or not), to make provision with regards to the upkeep of their own property frontages and kerbs. The Municipality are obliged to take away two bags of garden material each week with your household waste. If any owner needs garden services, please call on Koos Kooij, who is resident in Bushman’s Tel: 073 519 5815.

Forthcoming Community Events for September – December 2019

Confirmed dates as below
• Oct 25th Halloween Community Fun Braai + 100 club draw
• November N.B. No month end community braai
• Dec 06th Christmas Community Braai – booking essential
• Dec 16th Christmas Craft Market at the Old Town Hall
• Dec 27th BRRAG AGM at the old Town Hall

Tail end humor

For the ladies:

An Archeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.

Of course, women don’t work as hard as men. They get it right the first time.
Behind every angry woman is a man who has absolutely no idea what he did wrong.

For the younger generation:

My Wi-Fi went down for 30 minutes, so I had to talk to my parents, they seem like nice people.
We just got a fax at work. We didn’t know we had a fax machine. The entire department just stared at it. I poked it with a stick.

87% of young people suffer from back pain, the other 13% don’t own a computer.
For the older generation:

I changed my password to “incorrect”. So, whenever I forget what my password is the computer tells me “Your password is incorrect”.

E-Bay is useless. I looked up the word ‘lighters’, and all they had was 13,749 matches.
Be careful who you buy Velcro from. Some people are being ripped off.

For the confused:

Thanks for explaining the word “many” to me, it means a lot.

How do policemen on pedal cycles arrest people? Do they say, “Alright, get in the basket”?

If you’re not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb in the refrigerator?

The Very Last Word

Stressed spelt backwards is Desserts: Coincidence, I think not……until the next time.